Goal 2: Generate and Communicate Knowledge

This goal focuses on developing the capacity to share knowledge and fostering a dynamic communications culture.

To bring about change, people need knowledge to understand the state of water resources and the tools needed to sustainably develop and manage them. Knowledge can stimulate behavioural change towards a new ‘water culture’. We will support countries to tap into knowledge based on experience and grounded in sound theory and methodology.

We will continue to generate objective analysis, evidence-based arguments, and innovative ideas to influence policy debates on interconnected global challenges.

We will use our partnership Network to generate, access, and share water knowledge, and explore new ways of producing, customising, and communicating useful knowledge to a wide range of stakeholders. It is essential that shared solutions are applicable to regional priorities, gender sensitive, responsive to the needs of all stakeholders, and take into account indigenous knowledge, regional diversity, and localexperience. We will also continue to support Regional and Country Water Partnerships to develop tailored knowledge products in appropriate formats and languages to promote regional and country outcomes.

We will use our knowledge products to inﬂuence the global discourse on water security, its integration into national development, and scaling-up investments. We will engage with global thought leaders and key regional, national, and local development planners and water managers as part of this process.

We will encourage countries to take an adaptive approach to strategic decision-making, forward planning, and day-to-day decision-making. To enable this, we will support access to reliable, up-to-date data and information on water resources and management, which is essential to properly monitor and measure progress, and capture lessons learned.

To support an adaptive approach we will:

support the development of a global monitoring and reporting system for water resources

work with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) to support further development of the Global Framework for Climate Services, which is involved in producing and using climate information and services

work with UN-Water and others to develop water security targets and indicators that link to both the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals

strengthen the global, regional, and country secretariats’ role as knowledge brokers by improving network communications, knowledge management, and media outreach.

Sharing the Knowledge

Our Knowledge Chain enables our Partners at all levels to stay at the forefront of emerging challenges and new ideas. The Knowledge Chain connects the Regional and Country Water Partnerships, the Technical Committee, the global secretariat, strategic knowledge partners, and wider audiences so that knowledge ﬂows in manydirections: global to regions; region to region; regions to global. It enables us to develop and disseminate new demand-driven knowledge products based on local knowledge and experiences rooted in different parts of the world.

Our online ToolBox for sharing knowledge products will continue to evolve to meet users’ needs. It is structured around our governance outcomes and contains sets of tools that are regularly updated, enabling users to choose the most appropriate mix for their context and needs.

We will continue to build local expertise so that countries can manage their water resources more effectively with less need for external support. We will promote training courses in conjunction with local training institutes and partners, such as the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP’s) CapNet programme.

We will work with knowledge partners to develop tailor-made capacity-building programmes, internships and scholarship opportunities that will provide knowledge stepping-stones for young people, as well as for mid-level professionals, to develop their careers within the water community.

We will ensure that our knowledge products speak to a wide range of audiences who inﬂ uence water management outcomes. We recognise that increasing water security has roots in politics, economics, society, and the natural environment. As resources become scarcer, sustainability issues become ever more entwined, and a much broader set of actors will be needed to resolve them. We must ﬁnd ways of drawing together partners, stakeholders, and communities to make decisions about development and investment that enjoy broad cross-sectoral and public support. We will reach out to future decision-makers by providing water knowledge products that can be adapted for use in schools and disseminated through teacher networks.